Products

As Southern Africa’s leading player in sulphuric acid and sulphur-based chemicals, Chemical Initiatives is able to differentiate its products to meet customer-specific needs, whether these extend to alum sulphate, oleum, sulphur dioxide, molten sulphur, plant nutrient elemental sulphur (PNES), sulphur and alum tri-hydrate, or to ammonia solutions, anhydrous ammonia, nitric acid, alum hydroxide, silver nitrate and caustic soda solutions. Chemical Initiatives also supply a range of specialties and locally manufactured surfactants into the Home and Personal Care Industries. Our manufacturing capabilities include the Sulphonation of LAB, Sulfation of Alcohol Ethoxylates, and conversion of Tertiary Amines, Alkanolamides as well as other liquid/liquid and liquid with solid blends.

Manufactured Products

Orthophosphoric acid is a clear, colourless, odourless mineral acid with the chemical formula H3PO4 that is soluble in water at all concentrations. The most common commercial concentrations are 75% to 85% where it is a viscous, syrupy liquid.

Taking the form of pale green to cream pastilles, Chemical Initiatives’ PNES is Tiger90 Sulphur, a high analysis granular degradable sulphur product. It is used as a source of plant nutrient sulphur and for soil amendment for the correction of problem alkali soils.

Essentially liquified sulphur dioxide (SO2) kept under pressure, sulphur dioxide takes the form of a clear, colourless liquid with a suffocating odour. It is used as a bleaching and sterilising agent, a food preservative and an industrial chemical.

Oleum is a solution of sulphur trioxide in concentrated sulphuric acid. Used in the manufacture of mixed acids, detergents and for other industrial purposes, it takes the form of off‑white to grey or light brown, slightly turbid, oily, fuming liquid which may contain sediment.

Sulphuric acid is a strong mineral acid that is soluble in water at all concentrations. A central substance in the chemical industry, it takes the form of a colourless to dark grey, light yellow or light purple, slightly turbid, oily, corrosive liquid. Principal uses for sulphuric acid include lead-acid batteries for vehicles, ore processing, fertiliser manufacturing, oil refining, wastewater processing and chemical synthesis.

Traded Products

A compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula NH3, this is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilisers. Ammonia, as used commercially, is often called anhydrous ammonia to emphasise the absence of water in the material.

This is essentially elemental sulphur, in the form of yellow to off-yellow pastilles of up to 10mm diameter, together with some fines or a yellowish, coarse powder (screened) that is free from foreign matter. It is principally used for sulphur dioxide manufacture, sulphuric acid manufacture and various industrial applications.

Essentially sulphur, molten sulphur takes the form of yellow to dark brown crystals and powder at room temperature. It is liquid at high temperature – between 135° and 154°C, it becomes a yellow, molten mass.

Essentially alumina trihydrate (Al2O3.3H2O), aluminium tri-hydrate is sometimes also called aluminium hydroxide and represented by the formula Al(OH)3, in the form of a coarse, off-white, damp powder. It finds application as a raw material in the production of water treatment chemicals, flame retardant and filler in paper.

This is an aqueous solution of ammonia (ammonium hydroxide, NH4OH), and takes the form of a clear, colourless to slightly yellowish liquid with a pungent, suffocating odour. Consisting of 10-35% ammonia and 65-90% water, this product finds application in water treatment, fertilisers and mineral processing.

Sodium hydroxide is a caustic, metallic base. It is used in many industries, mostly as a strong chemical base in the manufacture of pulp and paper, textiles, drinking water, soaps and detergents, and as a drain cleaner.